tropical storms. tropical cyclone tropical cyclones are large, rotating, low- pressure storms that...
TRANSCRIPT
Tropical Cyclone• Tropical cyclones are large, rotating, low-
pressure storms that form over water during summer and fall in the tropics
• The strongest of these storms in the Atlantic Ocean are known as hurricanes!
FORMATION– Tropical cyclones require two basic
conditions to form:• An abundant supply of very warm ocean water• Some sort of disturbance to lift warm air and
keep it rising
–Once a hurricane, the development of a calm center of the storm, called an eye, takes place.
– The eyewall is a band immediately surrounding the eye that contains the strongest winds in a hurricane.
What is INSIDE?
1. A disturbance in the ITCZ zone lifts warm air near tropical waters
2. Cyclonic winds circle around a low pressure center = tropical depression
3. Wind Speeds reach 65 km/hr = Tropical Storm
4. Wind Speeds reach 120 km/hr = Hurricane
Stages of Tropical Cyclones
Running out of Energy…
• The storm moves over land and no longer has access to the warm ocean surface from which it draws its energy.
• The storm moves over colder water.
– A hurricane will last until it can no longer produce enough energy to sustain itself. This usually happens when:
Storm SurgeA storm surge occurs when hurricane-force winds drive a mound of ocean water, sometimes as high as 6 m above normal sea level, toward coastal areas where it washes over the land.
Summary
• Use the following terms in your summary!
1. ITCZ
2. Eye & Eyewall
3. Saffir-Simpson Scale
4. Storm Surge
5. “your choice”
Match the following terms with their definitions.___ tropical
depression
___ hurricane
___ eyewall
___ storm surge
A. a tropical cyclone with wind speeds of at least 65 km/h
B. the band that has the highest wind speeds in a hurricane
C. a tropical cyclone with wind speeds of at least 120 km/h
D. a mound of wind-driven water that washes over coastal lands